Every day there is a chance towns or businesses will have to utilize their backup plans. Whether a natural disaster is approaching or a data breach occurred, companies and local governments should have a business continuity plan or equivalent in place.
"Business owners and managers should think about developing a business continuity plan, if they don't have one. In it you should consider your reliance on services provided outside your area and the potential for those to be disrupted," Lee Hazlewood of Waikato Civil Defense told Bay of Plenty Times.
Bay of Plenty Times is a New Zealand-based newspaper, but the area it covers experiences natural disasters and data breaches just like any other nation.
This blog previously discussed why it is necessary to have a previously established plan, and reported many examples why companies should develop a business continuity plan. These are the situations where preparedness is extremely essential.
Network failure
If a company is a victim of a data breach, it is up to the information technology staff members to establish firewalls and cloud servers to protect workflow. Theft of any kind may cause employees to lose access to their individual files, according to CPA Global. The quicker workers can return to "business as usual," the sooner parties can notify affected individuals.
In situations where the power goes out and the backup generator cannot reboot electricity operations for the office, a secondary server can give individuals the tools they need to continue working. Placing an electricity clause in the business continuity plan will prevent executives from answering the same questions over and over. Improperly storing documents, whether it be a separate server or an off-site building, could also delay activities.
Extreme weather
Small businesses that do not prepare may not have the funding to reopen after a natural disaster. Lacking the capital to be cleared for operation will set organizations back $3,000 per day every day that they're closed, ultimately causing 25 percent of small to mid-sized affected businesses to shut down after a storm, according to Small Business Majority.
Underestimating a storm's impact can leave residents out of power for weeks. Last October's Hurricane Sandy damaged hundreds of homes in New York and New Jersey. Mayor Bloomberg recently updated New York City's evacuation zones in response to the superstorm.
Business continuity and continuity of operations plans can positively impact any corporation or community. Delaying to reach out to business continuity consultants for assistance can be costly later on.